Read The Man Who Had All the Luck for Free Online Page A

now that I’ve known it since we were babies. When I used to talk to you at night through the kitchen window, when I’d meet you to ride around the quarry in Shory’s car; even as far back as The Last of the Mohicans in 6B. I always knew we’d have to sit in the house together and listen to him roaring at us. We have to, Davey. [ She steps away, as though to give him a choice. ]
    DAVID [ he smiles, a laugh escapes him ]: You know, Hess, I don’t only love you. You’re my best friend.
    HESTER springs at him and kisses him. They are locked in the embrace when a figure enters from the right. It is DAN DIBBLE , a little sun-dried farmer, stolidly dressed—a mackinaw, felt hat. He hesitates a moment, then . . .
    DIBBLE: Excuse me . . . J.B. Feller . . . is J.B. Feller in here?
    DAVID: J.B.? Sure. [ Points at back door. ] Go through there . . . he’s in the store.
    DIBBLE: Much obliged.
    DAVID: That’s all right, sir.
    DIBBLE tips his hat slightly to HESTER , goes a few yards toward the door, turns.
    DIBBLE: You . . . you Dave Beeves? Mechanic?
    DAVID: Yes, sir, that’s me.
    DIBBLE nods, turns, goes up the ramp and into the store, closing door behind him. DAVID looks after him.
    HESTER: Come, Davey.
    DAVID: Yeh. I’ll get my coat. [ He goes to rail at back where it hangs, starts to put it on. ] Gosh, I better change my shirt. Shory grabbed my clean one before. I guess he took it into the store with him.
    HESTER [ knowingly ]: He doesn’t think you ought to go.
    DAVID: Well . . . he was just kiddin’ around. I’ll only be a minute. DAVE starts for the store door when it opens and J.B. surges out full of excitement. DIBBLE follows him, then AMOS , then PAT , and finally SHORY who looks on from his wheelchair above the ramp.
    J.B.: Hey, Dave! Dave, come here. [ To DAN.] You won’t regret it, Dan . . . Dave . . . want you to meet my brother-in-law from up in Burley. Dan Dibble.
    DAVID: Yes, sir, how de do.
    J.B.: Dan’s got a brand new Marmon . . . he’s down here for a funeral, see, and he’s staying at my house . . .
    DAVID [ to J.B. A note of faltering ]: Marmon, did you say?
    J.B.: Yeh, Marmon. [ Imperatively. ] You know the Marmon, Dave.
    DAVID: Sure, ya . . . [ To DAN.] Well, bring it around. I’ll be glad to work on her. I’ve got to go right now . . .
    J.B.: Dan, will you wait in my car? Just want to explain a few things. I’ll be right out and we’ll go.
    DIBBLE: Hurry up. It’s cold out there. I’d like him to get it fixed up by tomorrow. It’s shakin’ me up so, I think I’m gettin’ my appendix back.
    J.B. [ jollying him to the door ]: I don’t think they grow back once they’re cut out . . .
    DIBBLE: Well it feels like it. Be damned if I’ll ever buy a Marmon again. [DIBBLE goes out. ]
    J.B. [ he comes back to DAVE]: This idiot is one of the richest farmers in the Burley district. . . . He’s got that mink ranch I was tellin’ you about.
    DAVID: Say, I don’t know anything about a Marmon . . .
    J.B.: Neither does he. He’s got two vacuum cleaners in his house and never uses nothin’ but a broom. Now listen. He claims she ain’t hitting right. I been tryin’ the past two weeks to get him to bring her down here to you. Now get this. Besides the mink ranch he’s got a wheat farm with five tractors.
    HESTER: Five tractors!
    J.B.: He’s an idiot, but he’s made a fortune out of mink. Now you clean up this Marmon for him and you’ll open your door to the biggest tractor farms in the state. There’s big money in tractor work, you know that. He’s got a thousand friends and they follow him. They’ll follow him here.
    DAVID: Uh, huh. But I don’t know anything about tractors.
    HESTER: Oh, heck, you’ll learn!
    DAVID: Yeah, but I can’t learn on his tractors.
    HESTER: Yeah, but . . .
    J.B.: Listen! This could be the biggest thing that ever